Station-annunciator for railway-cars.



No. 698,491. Patented Apr. 29, I902.

G. HALL.

STATION ANNUNCIATOR FDR RAILWAY CABS.

(Application filed Jan. 29, 1902.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES: W a 714%; f A

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC GEORGE HALL, OF FOSTORIA, OHIO.

STATION-ANN U NCIATOR FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 698,491, dated April 29, 1902. Application filed January 29, 1902. Serial No. 91,728. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE HALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fostoria, in the county of Seneca and State of Ohio, have invented certain "new and useful Improvements in Station-Ann u nciators for Railway-Oars; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

A familiar difficulty encountered by conductors in the management of street-railway cars, especially on suburban and inter-urban lines having regular stopping-points and different rates of fare, is to remember the different stopping-places at which the passengers are to alight and to give the motorman the proper signal at the proper time. At night or in stormy weather, with a crowded car, this work is extremely arduous.

My invention relates to and its object is to provide means for overcoming or mitigating the difficulties here indicated, and more particularly to provide an annunciator which may be operated from any part of the car as the fares or tickets are collected and which will indicate to the motorman beforehand the various places at which the car is to be stopped, thus relieving the conductor of the task of watching from the inside or rear of the car for the places at which to give the stopping signal. I attain these objects by means of the apparatus hereinafter described, and shown and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my device, partly in section; and Fig. 2, a front elevation of the conductors indicator, hereinafter referred to.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in both views. I

In the drawings, 1 indicates the front wall of the car, 2 the rear wall, and 3 the front of the Inotormans compartment or cab. Secured to the inner side of the front 2 of the car and in plain view is a case 4, having a circular face 5, projecting from which near its margin are differently-numbered plates 6, there being a plate for each stopping-point.

7 is a light stout rod extending overhead throughout the length of the car Within reach of the conductor, passing through and being revolubly mounted in the rear wall 2 of the car, as at 7 At its opposite end the rod 7 passes through the center of the disk 5 and is journaled in the case i. The rod carries a sleeve 8, from which projects a spring or brush 9, which when the rod 7 is revolved comes in contact successively with each of the number-plates 6. The part 9 serves as a pointer to indicate the plate 6 with which it is in contact.

A. drop or shutter annunciator 10 of ordinary construction is secured upon the car within plain view of the motorman. Each of the drops or shutters of this annunciator is controlled by its usual electromagnet. (Notshown in the drawings, but which will be understood without illustration.) The drops or shutters l0 are numbered to correspond with the numbers on the number-plates 6. Each of the number-plates is on one side connected by a separate wire 11., passing through cable 12, with the magnet which controls the correspondingly-numbered drop or shutter in the annunciator 10. The opposite side of each of these magnets and contact numberplates 6 is connected with a wire 13, common to all. In this line 13 is a battery 14: or other source of electricity, also a brush or contactspring 15, which is in constant electrical connection with the spring or brush 9. In the line 13 is a normally open make-and-break device 16, which is connected with and controlled by a stout cord 17, extending through the car within reach of the conductor to the rear platform, as at 17.

The operation of my device is as follows: The conductor having taken a ticket or fare to a place on his route turns the rod 7 so that the piece 9 points to and contacts with the plate 6 which bears the number corresponding with such place. He then pulls the cord 17 which through the make-and-break device 16 closes the circuit through wire 13, make-and-break device 16, brushes 15 and 9,

plate 6, wire 11, the appropriate annunciatormagnet, and the battery. Thus the proper number in the annunciator is exposed and the operator is advised in ample time of each stop to be made. The numbers on both the indicatorand the annunciator should, for convenience, be arranged in numerical order. At the end of the route or as occasion may require the annunciator drops or shutters may, in the usual manner, be reset fora repetition of the operation above described.

It is obvious that many forms of indicators, annunciators, springs, brushes,contact plates or points, and the like may be substituted for the parts which I have, by way of illustration, herein shown and described and that letters and other characters may be used on the indicator and the annunciator instead of figures or numerals.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. In a station-annunciator for railwayoars, a conductors indicator having an indicater member for each stopping-point, an operators annunciator having an annunciating device for each stopping-point, connections between each indicator member and the corresponding annunciating device, means capable of operation from any place in the car for indicating any desired indicator member, and means for actuating the corresponding annunciating device.

2. I11 a station annunciator for railwaycars, a conductors indicator, an operators annunciator adapted and arranged to annunciate the point designated on the indicator, a

pointer on the indicator, and a rod connected with said pointer and disposed within reach, lengthwise of the car, whereby the indicator may be operated from any place within the car.

3. In a station-annunciator for railwaycars, an indicator, a rod which extends through the car and which is adapted and arranged to actuate the indicator, an annunciatorconnected with said indicator, and means, capable of being operated from any part of the car, for causing the annunciator to register the point marked on the indicator.

4. A station-annunciator for railway-cars comprising a conductors indicator having indicator members corresponding with the stations, an operators annunciator having electrically-controlled annunciating devices corresponding with said indicator members, open electric connections between each of said indicatormembers audits correspondingannun ciating device, a movable member adapted to designate either of said indicator members and to thereby throw either of said indicator members into electrical connection with its corresponding annunciating device, means for actuating said movable member from any place in the car, a make-and-break device in said electrical connections, and means for actuating said make-and-break device from any place in the car.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE HALL.

Witnesses-L WILLIAM N. OALDwEnn, LINK. D. RoUsn. 

